From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa Traditional Rulers Council has raised alarm over the humanitarian crisis and impending post flood aliments if the Federal Government continues to pay lip service to the flood disaster in Bayelsa State.
The Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, His Royal Majesty King Bubaraye Dakolo Agada IV, Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom flanked by other some other First class monarchs in a press conference addressed at the Traditional Rulers secretariat said the Council whose 90 per cent of members had their kingdoms submerged did “not mince words in condemning the complete absence of agents of statutory Federal Government Agencies and Ministries saddled with the job of rendering assistance in our domains at times such as these.”
Dakolo who stated that “this type of calamity had never befallen our people” added that, “we had never imagined that this degree of extreme insensitivity and lack of interest would be displayed with respect to the survival and welfare of our peace loving people who are all fellow citizens”
According to him there is a looming post flood ailments in the state “if the Federal Government’s complimentary mitigation efforts remain conspicuously absent, conspicuously low or conspicuously insufficient.”
On the humanitarian crisis, he called for help from the Federal Government and International organisations.
“Major Federal Government and State infrastructure in and around the State, such as roads, electricity, bridges, have been badly damaged isolating Bayelsa State from the rest of Nigeria.
“Private properties such as houses, cars, farms and businesses worth multiples of billions of Naira have been destroyed and their owners displaced by this deluge of unprecedented monumental proportions.
“Since all the farms in Bayelsa State; crops and animals alike, have been completely destroyed, and the road accesses leading to the state also destroyed, thus isolating the state completely from the rest of the country for weeks and still counting, prices of the few goods that survived the deluge in the State have skyrocketed worsening the precarious plight of Bayelsans who are Nigerian citizens.
“Experts say it would cost multiples of billions of Naira to reconstruct the portions of the East West Road, a Federal Government Road, that were destroyed by the flood. And until that is properly done the State would remain cut-off from the rest of the country, and goods and services would be procured only at extremely high prices as they are currently being procured at extremely high prices when found.
“The situation in Bayelsa is dire! The disaster will require multiples of billions of Naira to fix. The traditional rulers cannot do it. The state government cannot do it alone. The Bayelsa State Government does not have the funds to do it alone. So, the Federal Government has to take front stage in the post flood reconstruction of the State and post flood rehabilitation of Bayelsans who are Nigerian citizens too.
“We wish to call on Local and International humanitarian Organizations, and philanthropists to come and lend a helping hand to the State Government in this battle for survival of the flood ravaged people of Bayelsa State.”